The Chu Family of Tianyan

Chapter 49: The Chu Family of Shiyan City

Since neither Xia Xue nor Xiao Zi could be exposed to outsiders and he had to be away for a while, Chu Xiaotian returned to the Hundred Herb Pavilion. He bought enough medicinal herbs to last Xia Xue over a month, handed them to the gatekeeper disciple of the Mad Blade Martial Hall, and gave the man a few low-grade Spirit Stones. He asked the disciple to deliver the supplies to Xia Xue and tell her that he would return soon.

The disciples of the Mad Blade Martial Hall held Chu Xiaotian in high esteem, and with the addition of those low-grade Spirit Stones, the disciple happily took the Qiankun Bag Chu Xiaotian gave him and headed out of Greenwood Town to find Xia Xue. Xia Xue's residence was no secret, but the people of Greenwood Town generally avoided disturbing her, leaving the place exceptionally quiet.

Chu Xiaotian had no intention of delivering the items to Xia Xue himself. On one hand, it was best if outsiders didn't know where she lived. On the other, he feared that if these people saw Xiao Zi, trouble would be unavoidable.

"Alright, let's go." Watching the Mad Blade Martial Hall disciple leave Greenwood Town, Chu Xiaotian turned to the old man and smiled slightly.

The old man nodded and waved his hand. With a flash of light, a square box two meters wide and three meters long appeared before Chu Xiaotian. Looking closely, the box had four wheels at the bottom, windows on the sides, and doors at the front and back. It resembled the ancient carriages Chu Xiaotian knew, only it lacked the shafts for a horse. If one ignored its boxy shape and wheels that were at least twice the size of a car tire, it looked exactly like a modern automobile. Judging by its appearance, its function was likely the same as well.

"Senior, what is this?" Despite his suspicions, Chu Xiaotian asked Chu Xiong with a look of confusion.

"This is called a Chu Carriage, a unique artifact of the Chu family used for travel. Get on," the old man said indifferently, a flash of pride crossing his face as he glanced at Chu Xiaotian. With that, he opened the front door of the Chu Carriage and stepped inside.

Chu Xiaotian was speechless. It was called a "Chu Carriage" and used for travel—it was clearly the equivalent of an automobile from his previous world. He just wondered if it was as fast as a car.

Stepping inside, he found the interior quite similar to a car from his past life. There were three rows of seats and a dashboard-like console in the front, featuring a circular disk engraved with various patterns. In the center of the disk was a small groove, just the right size to hold a Spirit Stone.

As Chu Xiaotian boarded, he saw Chu Xiong placing a Spirit Stone into the groove. The moment the stone was inserted, the patterns on the disk lit up, and the carriage began to move forward slowly.

Chu Xiaotian was stunned. An automobile—this was an automobile of another world, only instead of gasoline, this "Chu Carriage" ran on Spirit Stones.

The guards sat in the two rows of seats behind Chu Xiaotian, while the old man sat in the front, his eyes slightly closed. A moment later, Chu Xiaotian felt a slight vibration, and through the windows on both sides, he saw the scenery outside receding rapidly. The speed was not only faster than the cars he had seen before, but significantly so. This Chu Carriage was clearly controlled by spiritual sense; it required no hands, only a thought, meaning there was no risk of accidents like hitting trees or people.

"Big Brother, I wonder how one buys a Chu Carriage like this? When I return, could I get one?" Watching the scenery blur past, Chu Xiaotian immediately fell in love with this otherworldly version of a car. He leaned toward the thin guard beside him and asked with a smile.

"Heh, it's likely impossible for you to buy one. You must understand, this Chu Carriage is a Dharma Artifact-level treasure. There are only a few in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, and everyone who owns one is a person of prominent status. The ancestor of Leader Chu Xiong personally participated in the design and refining of the Chu Carriage and was specially gifted one by the family, which has been passed down through generations. Countless people have tried to buy it, but they won't sell. As for others in the family, very few possess one. We are only fortunate enough to enjoy such a treasure because of Leader Chu," the guard replied with a smile, explaining the history of the carriage to Chu Xiaotian and making it clear that this was not something just anyone could own.

"So Leader Chu's ancestor was such a master; I am truly filled with admiration. If I am ever lucky enough, I would love to behold the grace of such a predecessor." Chu Xiaotian sighed inwardly; it seemed this otherworldly car wasn't as simple as he had imagined. Of course, he still had to butter up Leader Chu Xiong.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, although Chu Xiong only gave a soft grunt, his expression softened significantly. Clearly, he took great pride in the Chu Carriage his ancestor had obtained.

Chu Xiaotian smiled and stopped bothering him, turning instead to chat with the guard sitting in front of him. From their conversation, he learned several things he wanted to know.

These people were from the Chu family of Shiyan City. Among the 108 cities of the Great Xia Dynasty, Shiyan City ranked eighth, making it a major city. The Yufeng Prefecture they were currently in was under the jurisdiction of Shiyan City.

The Chu family specialized in artifact refining and was one of the three great families of Shiyan City. The carriage they were riding in was developed by the Chu family over three hundred years ago and was named after their surname.

A family like the Chu clan should logically be flourishing, but for some reason, the direct line had become increasingly thin. The grandfather of the young master they were looking for—the current head of the family, Chu Wen—was an only child with no siblings. Even after taking over a dozen wives, he eventually had only one son, Chu Mingxuan. His son was even worse; at over forty years old, with just as many wives as his father, he hadn't produced a single heir. Later, however, a mistress he kept outside bore him a son—the very young master Chu Xiong and his men were searching for. That young master happened to share the exact same name as Chu Xiaotian, which was one of the reasons these men suspected Chu Xiaotian of having amnesia. Sharing a face could be a coincidence, but sharing a name was absurdly coincidental.

That Chu Xiaotian had been brought into the family by Chu Mingxuan just before his eighteenth birthday to hold his coming-of-age ceremony and be officially recognized by the clan. For Chu Wen, who had no other heirs, this was a joyous occasion. After confirming the boy's identity, he was overjoyed and ordered a grand banquet for the ceremony. Unexpectedly, the day before the event, Chu Xiaotian disappeared. Some said they saw him leaving the city with a few guards, but he never returned.

Chu Wen was furious and ordered the entire family to search for him, but to this day, they had found nothing. It was as if he had evaporated from the world. As the only potential heir to the Chu family, his importance was self-evident. Therefore, even though they were almost certain that this Chu Xiaotian was not their young master, they wouldn't let go of even the slightest hope.

After hearing the guard's story, Chu Xiaotian had a rough idea of the situation. It seemed the Chu family was embroiled in the typical, bloody power struggles of a wealthy clan. The direct line had likely been targeted and successfully sabotaged long ago; otherwise, two generations of men taking over a dozen wives each shouldn't have failed to produce an heir.

Chu Xiaotian had no desire to be sucked into such a vortex. He hadn't experienced the affairs of wealthy families, but he had heard enough. Brothers killed each other without hesitation; if an unrelated outsider like him were to stumble in without any strength, he wouldn't even be left as scraps. He decided that as soon as the head of the Chu family confirmed he wasn't their young master, he would return to Greenwood Town, live a comfortable life with Xia Xue, and only venture out again once he was strong enough.

The journey from Greenwood Town to Shiyan City was not short. Even with Chu Xiong's carriage, it took them two full days to arrive. Along the way, they rarely left the vehicle, eating, drinking, and sleeping inside. The Chu Carriage was incredibly smooth, and they felt nothing while riding. However, the consumption of Spirit Stones was extraordinary—two high-grade Spirit Stones every hour. An ordinary person truly couldn't afford it.

Over those two days, Chu Xiaotian not only learned much about the Chu family from the guard but also gained a great deal of knowledge about the Moon-Refining Continent. His previous understanding had come from Xia Xue and Ba Dao, whose experiences couldn't compare to those of a well-traveled Chu family guard. This information was invaluable to Chu Xiaotian, so even though he had been dragged so far away, he felt it was well worth it.

Shiyan City, one of the top eight major cities in the Great Xia Dynasty, was vast, covering an area of over fifty thousand li—nearly twice the size of the capital of the country from his previous world. Yet, it had a population of only ten million or so, which wasn't considered high for such a massive city.

As one of the three great families of Shiyan City, the Chu family's prestige was no joke. If nothing else, the estate, which spanned ten li, left Chu Xiaotian in awe. The towering walls that looked like city fortifications and the wide gates all displayed the grandeur of one of the three great clans.

Perhaps having received instructions from the family head, Chu Xiong drove the carriage directly inside without stopping at the gate. The Chu family had strict rules: no riding within the estate. However, there was one exception: the Chu Carriage. Anyone who owned such a vehicle was clearly of prominent status or had rendered exceptional service, making them exempt from the "no riding" rule.